If it doesn't taste good, why eat it?

oats

If you’re anything like me, you’ve tried at least 10 different recipes for granola- each of them ok, but not something that you want to make… and then make again. With this recipe I’ve tweaked it a few times until I found the balance that makes me happy. It’s slightly crunchy, a little salty, it has the chew factor, it has texture, the little bit of sweet offered up by the dried fruits, and a teeny bit of heat, ’cause, well, why not? So without further adiue….

Never in my life, until just over a year ago, had I known so many people with food allergies. Now I have adopted an entire family full 🙂 (and I love them all) and have several friends with them as well. There are allergies to spices, some to raw fruits and veggies, to gluten, to tree nuts, to peanuts, to dairy, and the list goes on. Then there are the folks who make life choices to exclude certain foods- people who eat paleo, vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, etc. All of this adds up to challenge the “foodie” at each party. You want to bring a dish that looks good, tastes great, and that everyone will be able to partake in. It can be a little crazy, but I’m up for the challenge.

This particular recipe is an adaptation of the Rocky cookie which tastes a bit more tropical and uses no peanut butter. It’s for Sheila and Michael as she loves her healthy foods and he doesn’t breathe so well when peanut products are near him 😉

Ingredients:

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup steel cut oats

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or oat flour)

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

Sprinkle of sea salt

Handful of bittersweet chocolate chunks

Handful of raisins

Handful of chopped dates

Handful of cashews

Handful of shredded coconut

Handful of dried pineapple

Handful of wheat germ

Handful of flax seed meal

Handful of sunflower seeds

1 egg

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1/4 cup molasses

¾ cup plain, unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

a well-ripened banana

1 large scoop of Tahini

Preheat the oven to 375

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix

Scoop the batter by the tablespoon onto a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper (cookies will not spread)

Bake for 15-25 minutes (depending on your oven). You want a finished cookie that is golden brown around the edges and a bit on top

If you are anything like me then you can’t refuse the bounty of apples overflowing the farmers markets at this time of year. Or better yet, you’ve gone picking and have an abundance of beautiful fruits to use. There are Cortlands and Empires, Macouns and McIntosh, Red Delicious and Ginger Gold, Spencers, Ida Reds…. this list keeps going. I am a big fan of apples in a pie and I love to mix it up and use a variety of different apples so that each bite is different, some sweet and soft, some tart and crisp.

This particular recipe is based on the Weight Watchers version of an apple crumble pie, so it’s a bit leaner on the butter use than a typical pie. I subbed in whole wheat pastry flour for white, and I chose to use dark brown sugar in the crumble because of its intensity of flavor.

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

2 tablespoons water (maybe a touch more)

Filling

4 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon water

Crumble

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

1/2 cup rolled oats

5 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Directions

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400ºF

Spray a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray

To make the crust: combine the flour, sugar and salt in bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade and pulse to combine

Scatter the butter over the flour mixture; pulse until dough resembles coarse meal. Slowly add water, adding another tablespoon if necessary, until the dough comes together

Place the dough in the prepared pie pan and press it up the sides and around the bottom to form a crust; prick the bottom of the crust with a fork

To make the filling: combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl and toss gently to combine

Spread evenly over the crust

To make the crumble: to a food processor fitted with a blade add the oats, flour and sugar; pulse to combine, then add butter chunks, pulse again, and scatter over apples

Bake for 20 minutes

Reduce heat to 350ºF and continue baking until both crust and crumble are golden and apples are juicy, about 30 to 40 minutes

You’ll need to let the pie set up for about half an hour after baking before you should attempt to cut and serve it.

I have a dear friend named Roxanne. Those who know her well call her Rocky. Rocky is a giving and loving person, always there to listen to a friend, offer advice, lend her opinion. Rocky also happens to be famous for her cookies, and I mean that. She’s been asked to make them for parties at a salon, for people’s backyard shindigs, she’s made them for co-workers. She willingly shares her recipe and I’ve used it over and over. In fact I have a family member who swears that Rocky cookies helped her survive through a rough patch of menopause. My weight-lifting friend asks me to make them as her cheat after competitions. I’ve made them for constipated children who don’t get enough fiber in their diet, and for adults after surgery. I make them for myself as a snack. Unlike conventional cookies, they’re packed with healthy fats and fruits, nuts, and energy-supplying seeds. No butter, no brown sugar, no white sugar- you get my drift.

This cookie is hearty. It can be made with every ingredient in the list, or only a few of them. You can play with combinations for flavor such as pumpkin and walnut, or chocolate and cherries, or sunflower and raisin. Personally, I love to have a little bit of dark chocolate, lots of different fruits (prune, fig, raisin, cranberry), some wheat berries, a mixture of flours (barley and whole wheat)- a little bit of everything.

The recipe may confuse some as it calls for a handful of this and that ingredient. It means that, literally. The dough should not be terribly stiff when complete, but if it’s too runny just add a bit more flour to the mix.

2 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup steel cut oats

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour (or oat or barley flour)

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon cinnamon (can also add a dash of cloves and/or nutmeg)

Sprinkle of sea salt

Handful of bittersweet chocolate chunks

Handful of raisins

Handful of dried cranberries

Handful of walnuts

Handful of wheat germ

Handful of flax seed meal

Handful of seeds if you like them (sunflower, pepitas, flax, sesame, etc.)

Are you a fan of the “morning glory” muffin? They are the breakfast muffin with a little bit of everything in them- carrots, raisins, apple butter, wheat germ, nuts. Well this cookie is similar to that. Packed with fiber, servings of fruit and vegetable, whole grains, and warm spices this cookie has a lot going for it health-wise. And it’s tasty too!

Ingredients:

1 cup raw, un-salted walnuts

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 carrots, grated

1 apple, grated

1 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed

1/4 cup apple juice

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper

Combine the walnuts, oats and raisins in a food processor and pulse until ground

Transfer to a bowl and stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger

Add carrots, apples, banana and apple juice and mix until combined

Drop by tablespoons one inch apart on the baking sheet, making about 24 cookies

Press down on each cookie with the back of a fork to flatten them a bit (peanut butter cookie-style)